Capture the Duck

Capture the duck, or alternatively duck chasing, is a Hurani children's game that involves... well, chasing ducks, as the name suggests.

Origin

In Huran, ducks are considered intelligent, elegant, beautiful... and a nuisance. As the country with the highest duck population on the continent, Huran has more ducks than humans. The birds can be found in large numbers in parks, on the street, within people's gardens or yards. Leave any opening, and a duck will find its way in. This has historically evoked an irrational sense of rage within the Hurani, who now consider ducks their bitterest enemies.

I found 3 of the blasted things in our backyard just this week. One of them stole my breakfast right out of my hand!

— Enraged teenager

The Game

Although duck chasing really is as simple as it sounds, it requires a combination of physical ability, teamwork, and tactical decision-making. In this noble Hurani tradition, children- encouraged by their parents- enthusiastically chase and capture the ducks around their neighborhoods, to cut down the bird population. Sounds easy enough, right?

Wrong. Hurani ducks are frightfully intelligent and slippery, and finding them is really only the first step. To catch and actually keep them is the true struggle. The children of Huran gladly take up this difficult duty, however, devoting hours of their time for the good of their people.

2 out of 3 captured ducks end up escaping.

— Pina, 12-year old duck chasing veteran

First, individual ducks are tracked and lured together with bread, to make it easier to capture them all at once. Then, the children of the neighborhood form two groups, or divisions. The First Division is responsible for chasing and corralling the ducks into predetermined, well-prepared areas from which they are less likely to escape, known as Trap Zones. Lying in wait at the Trap Zones, the Second Division must remain hidden until the ducks are completely within the zone then spring out of their hiding spots to capture the birds using nets or cloth sacks. This stage of the game is often the most dangerous and results in the most injuries. It is not, however, the final stage; as long as the ducks still draw breath, escape is highly likely. As such, the children remain in formation throughout the trek home, with the First Division surrounding the Second, prepared to recapture any escapees.

It's not just a game; it's battle.

— Layem, age 9

Aftermath

Once the ducks have been safely transported home, they are cooked by proud parents. What, did you think they'd just let them go free? Of course not! The persistent creatures would just spread and run wild through the neighborhood once more. Besides, ducks are the cheapest and most readily available food for working Hurani. As a result, at the end of the game, the captured birds are distributed equally between the contributing members and usually end up on their families' plates for dinner.